Where did I say that they had failed? I said I think it's lame. I'm talking aesthetics which is a pretty subjective concept. I'm fine with zipties floating your boat.

Oh, I love it! The world of Aesthetics! Not the world we are permitted to taste, to touch, to hear but the world of Becoming with the abstract subjectives moved to the world of philosophers! Formal natures, abstracts, typicals, etc.

The advantage that the creator of practical solutions has over the aesthetician is we deal with actions free from puzzling disorders of Becoming. I act. I zip-tie. It works. Done.

Yours is a world of theologians, the accidental, the irrelevant, the incomplete. Mine is the complete, the precise, the scrupulous, the experienced, the zip-tied.

I just put on the Renazco seat. It really, really helps me with long days on the '07 525 EXC. Highly, highly recommended.

KTM fan: my 525 runs hot and in the woods on tight trails the fan runs all of the time. I also put Maxima's Coolanol / Coolaide mixed 3 pints of the former to 1 pint of the latter to help. I have a home made coolant recovery bottle and I do not get anything spitting out into it so even though the fan gets a workout the bike is apparently staying cool. The KTM fan is highly recommended especially for hot, tight trails.

Pro-Moto rack: I do not have one. The sub frame is not T-6. It is some mild aluminum that is chrome plated so you cannot weld on it. It is just not substantial. Most of my mounting points have cracked. They have done the same on my '05 250 EXC 2 stroke, so it just goes with the engineering of that particular part. I installed '03 Dirt Bagz racks on my '07, with modifications, and only carry light stuff in the Ranger bags. I would find out what the recommended weight limit is with the rack. I would say, pounding over the whoops and flying along that the rear should not have more than about 10 pounds on it max. Recommended with caveats on weight limits. (If you carry 5 gallons of gas back there expect it to bust off.)

HT-Cooler: I have this. Of everything I have done to my 525 I think this was the most cost effective. I get extended oil life, less shearing down on the oil, cooler oil bathing the transmission parts, cooler oil hitting the bottom of the piston (KTM says that 60% of the heat is carried out in the oil and I certainly believe this is true with the 525).

I just put on the Renazco seat. It really, really helps me with long days on the '07 525 EXC. Highly, highly recommended.

KTM fan: my 525 runs hot and in the woods on tight trails the fan runs all of the time. I also put Maxima's Coolanol / Coolaide mixed 3 pints of the former to 1 pint of the latter to help. I have a home made coolant recovery bottle and I do not get anything spitting out into it so even though the fan gets a workout the bike is apparently staying cool. The KTM fan is highly recommended especially for hot, tight trails.

Pro-Moto rack: I do not have one. The sub frame is not T-6. It is some mild aluminum that is chrome plated so you cannot weld on it. It is just not substantial. Most of my mounting points have cracked. They have done the same on my '05 250 EXC 2 stroke, so it just goes with the engineering of that particular part. I installed '03 Dirt Bagz racks on my '07, with modifications, and only carry light stuff in the Ranger bags. I would find out what the recommended weight limit is with the rack. I would say, pounding over the whoops and flying along that the rear should not have more than about 10 pounds on it max. Recommended with caveats on weight limits. (If you carry 5 gallons of gas back there expect it to bust off.)

HT-Cooler: I have this. Of everything I have done to my 525 I think this was the most cost effective. I get extended oil life, less shearing down on the oil, cooler oil bathing the transmission parts, cooler oil hitting the bottom of the piston (KTM says that 60% of the heat is carried out in the oil and I certainly believe this is true with the 525).

A fantastic bike! It just does everything well!

Stu

Stu,
Thanks for the input, I will probably go forward with my plans..........beats buying a new bike and then spending the $$$ and time making it mine

HT cooler, fan, Renazco, and rack in the near future (I will work on beefing up the subframe somehow)..... with your input on the the cooler, most likely in that order.

Another question............have you found a rear tire that will last more then a few hundred miles I am running Michelin Cross AC 10's on it now, liked them a lot until the first 130 mile ride...........now they are showing considerable wear.......The longest wearing tire I have had was a Pirelli, but I can not remember the model off hand.

I ride an '05 525EXC. Two weeks out of the month its on the trail exploring offroad or in its Motard trim carving up the twisties.

I live in Thailand so there is no aftermarket available for support other than what I bring over when abroad.

Like Stu i run the Dirt Bagz on homemade brackets. They carry enough for week long rides and they work a charm. Hjighly recommended, my set have been through 20,000 KM's and still running.

I don't have the luxury of Renazco of EE over here for seats. Instead I simply reshaped mine with about 3-4" extra width in the rear. I also trimmed it down since I'm only 5'5" to help with dabbing. So far the seat has worked a charm and for the Thrifty or cheap posters this is fine for week long rides. I believe the extra width helps distribute the pressure.

The HT oil cooler has worked a charm. Mine has no weeping or seeping as of yet. A great piece of kit that easees some of the worry out of caning the motor for extended periods over many days. The motor gets really abused in motard trim.

I have the fan installed and its on most times on the hot humid singletrack trails. Not boiled over yet but I fear it will happen in the future. I think KTM missed the mark on its cooling capabilities but thats a different story.

Now I just need some aftermarket piece that gets the rear tire to hook up in the rainy, slick singletrack they have over here.

Nice looking bike! Mine has been sideways & horizontal a few times as well.

SFS:

I agree on $$$ in a new bike and then setting it up as well. The RFS motors are pretty rock solid. Why else would KTM put them in much heavier 4 wheelers?

Rear tires: The best all around tire was the Metzler Extreme that came on mine but it didn't last long. The longest wearing was the Dunlop 606 but, again, it didn't last long. A friend just got an EXC and is trying the Sahara tires. They are not much in slick or muddy stuff but should last longer on the street. That seems like a good compromise if you do a lot of street riding. KTM has not learned that we fire across rough concrete or asphalt outgunning Corvettes and that we need a tire for this.

HT-Cooler: I have this. Of everything I have done to my 525 I think this was the most cost effective. I get extended oil life, less shearing down on the oil, cooler oil bathing the transmission parts, cooler oil hitting the bottom of the piston (KTM says that 60% of the heat is carried out in the oil and I certainly believe this is true with the 525).

A fantastic bike! It just does everything well!

Stu

+ 1 on the HT cooler. I put one on my '04 almost right away and the motor has had no trouble what so ever. My 525 now has near 4000 miles on the clock and I'm sure I will have many more miles/years of enjoyment from this bike. I also have the fan kit on the bike and when the ride gets slow the fan get a work out with out boiling. Stu is right about this bike doing everything well!!

For those of you with early model 525's with grabby clutches drilling the pressure plate as shown below with 6- 9/32" and 6 -3/16" holes lets oil get into the inner hub and prevents the dreaded dry clutch howling and squaking as well as allowing the bike to be feathered under load smoothly! Works great on my 2003 525 MXC Here is a picture of my pressure plate mod:

A nice setup! Is that an '07 450? 525? I run 15/50 on the road on my 525 (3.3333 ratio) to your 14/47 (3.35, so about identical). I slip on a 52 for more off road stuff and just flip the rear adjuster blocks.

You say with the JD jetting it runs cooler. My 525 in the woods on a hot day has the fan running constantly. This never was the case with the 450. What is your experience in tight woods?

Are the turn signal / high beam indicator lamps just taped in place or have you fabricated a mount?

I really like the ATV cover / foam idea. So far I have not needed it with my Renazco seat that I just got from Chris.

What are you running for oil?

Crazybrit:

It does look like the Renazco seats have changed design from yours to mine. It could also be that yours is a "high profile" seat. Mine is standard. Your 450 looks ready to rip. BTW, I had to force fit my seat on with my Clarke tank, just as I had to force fit the stock seat and the EE super soft seat. Now that I have ridden with it some it goes on and off more easily.

You are correct about the vibration on the 625 SXC. It is a great bike with an incredibly reliable motor that will haul more than the 525. I just go with less. I am happier with the 525 than I was with the 625. (I did finally put a 17T on the front on the 625 and at highway speeds that did help the vibes. The old 620 rubber footpeg inserts also helped a lot.)

So far the 530 with its smaller oil capacity in the engine (.7L to my nearly 1.8L with the HT Racing oil cooler) is reportedly burning some oil since what oil is there is really worked over. Bill Thomas at HT Racing is working on a cooler for this motor and reports that it has been difficult to design. Until a solution is found I am certainly staying with the RFS design for DS work.

Stu

Its a 07 525
Tight woods, deep sand 90degrees thats about it here, fan only runs when I get lazy and dont down shift and end up running 3rd gear too much.As soon as the fan kicks in drop to 2nd gear and 10seconds fan goes off. I do not run a catch tank and have never added any coolant from new. I also use the power now intake wings, they dont add any power but I can go down to walking speed 3rd gear open the throttle and she just pulls, no bogging really smooths power down low rpms. They seem a little pricey for what they are but I have become a beliver in them.
I run 10/40 mobile 1 4T most of the time seems to work good, I dont abuse the clutch too much but even when running hard clutch does not get grabby. I probably run my oil longer than most but it comes out looking good and just did a leak down test and it was well within spec and that was with 1100 miles on the oil (yes did change afterwards)
LOL yes indicator lights are just taped there 4000miles have not moved so I leave them alone.
for off road the stock seat is fine for me I made the pad up for long road hauls. did 1000+ miles with no monkey butt. one day I will probably get a Renzaco but just dont need one yet.

__________________
what the hell was I thinking??????
transplanted limey in florida, don't ask why!

Quick question: For those with Stainless steel valves in their EXC....how long have you been going (miles or hours) between needed adjustments????

Looking to extend the needed valve adjustment mileage.

There has been quite a conversation about this on ktmtalk.com. You might check that out. In summary, some people have had trouble with the intakes starting to need adjustment often (tuliped valves?) and some have not. Those that have needed valves have been installing Kibblewhite valves and experienced no further difficulties. Exhaust valves have apparently not been a problem. I understand that the SM version has different intake valves, and a different support bearing on the crank's clutch side but otherwise is identical to the EXC. Since I do not rev any of my motors excessively or wring it out on the highway I have not experienced difficulties. I checked with the racers that do run them hot and hard and they replace valves at the end of the season whether they need it or not.

Once the valves bed in (after the first couple of checks) I would think you would be able to run a long way before you needed to check them. If it gets hard starting check them. They might be tight. It doesn't take me that long to check them so I will keep an eye on them and make sure none of them start needing more adjustment more often, a sure sign you need to replace them. You can check them in the woods, for that matter. Run the adjuster down until it touches the valve stem and then back it off 60 degrees, or the distance of one flat on the adjuster lock down nut, tighten everything down and ride! What a bike! No cam to pull!

My intakes are on their way out already thats why I'm asking. They are going out of adjustment after four hours. I've got the Kibblewhite Valves ready to install unfortuantely in Thailand I don't trust the machine work to get them installed correctly. I was hoping the intakes would last until I'm back in the states to get them installed right. Unfortunately this motor gets revved and the worked intakes are a result. Here the bike was on a motard ride when we got bored and hit some dirt to explore. The bikes both drowned out in a river crossing.

I'm thinking of lapping the intake valves in myself with some lapping compound. My YZF 250 has worked fine doing this however the valve seats on the KTM are supposed to be hard as a rock so not sure how easy this procedure will be.

The 1/6 of a turn (.5mm) valve adjustment does not work for me since I have the Hotcams cam that requires a .13mm lash.

I'm planning a 3 week ride off road in Laos once monsoon season passes and looking to extend my valve adjustment schedule. Just curious what others have found or heard with their adjustment schedule running on SS valves.

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Cheers,
Team FTB
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Team "Fingering The Bean"